Morphometry on Lancet Flukes Found in Japanese Sika Deer (Cervus nippon centralis) Captured in Iwate Prefecture, Japan

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Thirty-six flukes were collected from the livers of wild deer (Cervus nippon centralis) captured in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, and were served for morphometry. The length and/or the width of the body, suckers, testes, ovary, vitelline glands, cirrus pouch and eggs in the uterus of the flukes were measured. The distance between anterior end of the body and position of the maximal body-width or upper end of the testes were also determined. A remarked morphological characteristic was that the right and left testes did not lie tandem but lined bilaterally. Also the position of the maximal body-width did not always locate in the posterior part of the body of the fluke. The property was in accordance with those for Dicrocoelium chinensis. KEY WORDS: Dicrocoelium chinensis, deer, morphology.J. Vet. Med. Sci. 68(4): 375-377, 2006 Dicrocoelium spp., known as "lancet fluke" or "small liver fluke", parasitize in the bile ducts and the gall bladder of numerous species of mammals, mainly ruminants (sheep, goat, cattle, buffaloes, roe-deer and camels). Although a little has been reported about the dicrocoeliosis, infections of lancet flukes can cause economic loss in ruminant livestock [4].Dicrocoelium dendriticum is most frequently present throughout Europe, North Asia (China), Japan and IndoMalayan region, North Africa, South America, and in some focal points in North America and Australia [5]. As less common species, D. hospes has been reported from Africa [2,3], and D. chinensis from China [7].Species identification for lancet flukes has been under controversy in Japan, although reports on lancet flukes are limited. Presence of two types of Dicrocoelium, i.e., the type of D. dendriticum, which has morphologically typical testes lining tandem [1,8] and the type of D. chinensis, which has testes lining bilaterally [3], has been suggested for lancet flukes in Japan (personal communication).In 1990, a number of lancet flukes were obtained from the livers of the Japanese sika deer (Cervus nippon centralis) captured in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. This report presents and discusses morphology of the lancet flukes obtained from the Japanese sika deer.Deer: Wild deer (Cervus nippon centralis) captured from a mountain area in southern part of Iwate Prefecture (lat. 39°N and long. 141° E), Japan in 1990, were served for this study. Seven males and 1 female, aged 2 to 6 years old, weighing 35 to 70 kg were necropsied.Detection of flukes: At the necropsy, whole liver of each deer was removed, and the livers were incised by using a scalpel. Then each liver was soaked in large size petri dishes with tap water and left over night. Flukes emerged onto the bottom of petri dish from livers were collected. The number of fluke was counted, and the flukes were preserved in a 5% formalin solution.Stain: After removing formalin from the fluke specimens by running water, flukes were stained by the carmine staining with an acetic acid treatment, which is a method for helminth specimens [6].Morphometry: Each fluke specimen was laid on a sli...

Characterization ofDicrocoelium chinensisfrom domestic yaks in Gansu and Sichuan provinces, China, using genetic markers in two mitochondrial genes

“…Individual trematodes from individual yaks were washed extensively in physiological saline, previously identified to genus level according to their predilection site and morphological features using existing keys and descriptions (Taira et al 2006), and then fixed in 70% ethanol until the extraction of genomic DNA. DNA was extracted from individual flukes using SDS/proteinase K treatment, followed by spin column purification (Wizard w SV Genomic DNA Purification System, Promega, Madison, Wisconsin, USA) and eluted into 50 ml H 2 O according to the manufacturer's recommendations.…”

Characterization ofDicrocoelium dendriticumisolates from small ruminants in Shaanxi Province, north-western China, using internal transcribed spacers of nuclear ribosomal DNA

“…Dicrocoelium dendriticum, one of the common causative agents of dicrocoeliosis in small ruminants, mainly inhabits the bile ducts and gall bladder of hosts (Otranto & Traversa, 2003;Taira et al, 2006;Maurelli et al, 2007). In general, economic losses caused by dicrocoeliosis are difficult to quantify, in terms of concomitant gastrointestinal and lung infections caused by nematodes and distomatids (Otranto & Traversa, 2003).…”

Genetic variability amongDicrocoelium dendriticumisolates from different regions in Shaanxi Province, China revealed by sequences of three mitochondrial genes

“…Sample codes, hosts and GenBank TM accession numbers are listed in Table I. Collected parasites were washed with physiological saline, identified to species based on morphological characters and predilection site (Taira et al 2006;Otranto et al 2007) and sequencing of the ITS2 rDNA of individuals (Maurelli et al 2007;Otranto et al 2007), fixed in 70% ethanol and stored at 2 208C until extraction of genomic DNA (gDNA). Total DNA was extracted from individual adult using proteinase K treatment, followed by spin column purification (TIANamp Genomic DNA Purification System, TIANGEN, P.R.…”